Multiple circuit breaking device for knitting machines



Sept. 29, 1936.

S. MIS'HCON MULTIPLE CIRCUIT BREAKING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 19, 1935 INVENTOR Salmzel Miskmn ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1936. s. MlsHcQN 2,055,610

MULTIPLE cmcun' BREAKING DEVICE FOR KNITTING, MACHINES Filed March 19, 1955 ZSheets-Sheet 2 'IIII/IIJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA 'IIIIII. VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/III7II ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1936 PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE CIRCUIT BREAKING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Samuel Mishcon, Brooklyn, N.- Y.

Application March 19, 1935, Serial No. 11,800

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a multiple circuitbreaking device, particularly of the type used in conjunction with a circular knitting machine for stopping the machine due to such conditions as a broken thread, entanglement of the thread into a knot, excessive tension on the thread or the exhausting of the yarn on the spool,one of the main objects of the invention being to present a relatively simple unitary device having the con- 1o tacting elements completely encased in .a single dust-proof housing.

In the usual type of apparatus of this class known in the trade as electric stop-motion devices, there is a complete electric circuit-breaking l5 mechanism in each of a plurality of separate and independent boxes, one for each thread of yarn operatively engageable with the machine. These boxes contain an aperture therein to accommodate a lever during its operative movement, said 2@ aperture being exposed to the atmosphere and hence constantly subject to the accumulation therein of dust and foreign particles which'may seriously affect and impede the operation of the contacting elements. It is hence one of the ob- 5 jects of my invention to overcome this disadvantage by housing the contacting elements in a single dust-proof casing, without in anyway interfering with the operative engagement with the machine of each 'thread of exposed yarn.

go In the old form of stop-motion device where separate boxes are employed, each box must contain as aforesaid, an independent circuit-breaking mechanism, making the device relatively intricate in structure. It is hence another object 35 of my invention to simplify the construction of' devices of this class by employing circuit-breaking means containing a single unitary contact element and operable by each of the threads engageable with the machine.

40 Where a multiplicity of independent circuitbreaking boxes are employed, separate adjustments must be made for each box in accordance with the tension requirements of the particular threads of yarn being used on the knitting ma- 45 chine. With the use of my invention, however, a

simple manual manipulationwill produce a simultaneous adjustment for a plurality of threads used in the machine, the accomplishment of which constitutes still another object of my in- 50 vention.

Other features, advantages and objects will appear from the drawing and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

55 Figure 1 is a front elevation of a knitting machine provided with the multiple circuit-breaking device constituting my invention.

Figure 2 shows, the relative positions of the yarn rest and yarn contact lever with a thread therebetween, as used in my invention-the dot-dash lines representing the position of the said lever when it is dropped due to the absence of a supporting thread.

Figure 3 shows the position of the yarn support and yarn contact lever when the former is pulled down by a thread due to excessive tension.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section of the yarncontrolled members at the outer extremity of a radial arm, showing the relative positions of the yarn rest, the yarn contact lever, the shaft, the

tubular arm and the tubular housing for the arm.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the casing and some of the radial elements and associated parts constituting my invention.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken along line 66 of Figure 5 and the supporting structure for the casing.

Figure 7 is a development of a fragmentary sectional view taken along line l--'l of Figure 5, showing variouspositions of the contact terminals with respect to the unitary circular contact element with which they are engageable, and

Figure 8 represents another form of the yarnactuated control members at the outer terminal of a radial arm, showing the yarn contact lever underlying the thread,the dot-dash lines indicating the position of said lever during the absence of the thread.

In the drawings, the stationary framework it] of a circular knitting machine is associated with the rotary cylinder II which operatively receives a plurality of threads of yarn, such as those identified by the numerals l2 and I3, from a corresponding number ofv circumferentially disposed spools, such as- M and l5,various types of threads being employed in predetermined relationship in accordance with the natureof the fabric to be knitted. Suitably mounted upon the framework I0 is the post l6 which supports the casing ll of the multiple circuit-breaking device lacontaining the elements of my invention.

The threads of yarn, on their way to the cylinder, pass over pulleys I9 and are thereafter slidably pulled over the yarn rests 20 and rings Zland 22 to be taken upby the needles circumferentially disposed about the cylinder which is operatively rotated through the action of the belt 23, the clutch 24 and gear 25.

Peripherally disposed about the casing I! are a. plurality of yarn-controlled elements, each including the conventional yarn rest 20 and yarn contact lever 26, operatively associated with a plurality of radial members the details of which will be more specifically described hereinafter.

Each of said yarn rests is fork-shaped, containing the two spaced supports 21 and 28, and is mounted over the outer terminal of one of the tubular radially disposed arms 23 and afllxed thereto by the screw 33. The said arm 29 extends into the lateral wall 3| of the casing l1, and is rotatably supported therein by the fixed tubular housing or support 33 which is secured to said lateral wall by the nuts 34 and 35. Contained within said arm 29 and extending therethrough isthe shaft 36, the outer terminal of which is joined to the lever 26 and the inner terminal provided with the contact terminal or switch element 31 suitably aflixed thereto.

The casing l1 contains therein the circular contact-element or ring 38 mounted on insulating post 39, the peripheral portion of said element underlying the said terminals 31 which are adapted for contacting engagement therewith. Electrically connected to the circular contact element 33 is the conductor 40, which is shown as consisting of several sections suitably joined together so as to enable it to be operatively applied to knitting machines of various dimensions,said conductor being electrically connected to a suitable source of current supply through the conducting elements 4|, 42 and 43.

Slidably engageable and circumferentially disposed with respect to the inner surface of the lateral wall 3| of the casing are the two cylindrical rings or sleeves 44 and 45, positioned at two diflerent levels, each of said sleeves containing lugs 46 and 41 extending outwardly into the space 43 formed by the extended wall 50 of the casing l1. In threaded engagement with said wall 50 are the screws 3i and 52 which extend into said space 43 for abutment against said lugs 46 and 41 respectively. Anchored at a plurality of points along the inner surface of said sleeves are the springs 33 and 54,-the former representing the springs on the upper sleeve and the latter those on the lower sleeve. Each of these springs is also anchored to the fingers 53 attached to the inner extremities of each of the tubular arms 29, preferably in alternate arrangement with respect to the upper and lower sleeves.

In the operation of this device, the action of the yarn-controlled members as shown in Figures 2 and 3 is well known to the art. The thread 12 is supported by the two supports 21 and 28 of the yarn rest 23, and superimposed upon and supported by said thread is the yarn contact lever 26. Should the thread break. or should the yarn on the spool become exhausted, the lever 23, being no more supported by the thread I2, will, in this form of device, drop down under the influence of gravity, thereby causing a rotary movement of the shaft 33 to downwardly, carry with it the contact terminal 31 within the casing until contact is made with the circular contact element 33. When this occurs, an electric circuit will be closed, said circuit extending from a source of current supply through the conductors 43, 42, 4 I, 40, the contact element 33, the terminal 31, the casing I1, and through a common ground connection to the solenoid 53 (see Figure 1). Upon a closing of said circuit the core 51 of the solenoid is drawn to the right, permitting the spring 58 to actuate the member 53 upwardly and into operative engagement with the lever 60, thereby breaking the toggle of which arm 62 is a member and conseknitting operations.

aosacro quently releasing the bar SE from the locking position of the toggle arm 62. This permits the spring 63 to draw said bar St to the left and disengage the clutch 24 from the pulley operated by the belt 23. In this way, the gear 25 ceases to actuate the cylinder Ii and the machine is brought to a stop, an event which is generally rendered more positive by the simultaneous ac tion of a braking mechanism (not here shown). It is thus obvious that with the absence of a thread such as 52 on any of the yarn rests, the terminals 31 will be brought into engagement with the unitary contact ring 38 to effect a stopping of the Instead of employing a plurality of independent circuit-breakers at the terminal portion of each radial arm, as is commonly the practice, this invention enables one unitary contact element 38 to coact with any one of the terminals 31 for the required purpose.

If for some reason the tension of the thread I2 should increase, or in the event of the entanglement of the thread into a knot, either this excessive tension or the pull of the knot will cause the yarn rest 20 to swing downwardly as is shown in Figure 3, against the action of a spring such as 53 anchored to the rotatable arm 29. Inasmuch as the lever 26 is still supported by the thread, and the thread by the yarn rest, the downward or clockwise movement of the yarn rest will cause the lever to similarly move downwardly, effecting a contacting of the terminal 31 with the contact ring 38 to cause a stopping of the machine in the aforesaid manner.

By referring to Figure 7, it will be seen that the terminal 31a has dropped as a result of the absence of thread, inasmuch as the finger 53 is still in its upward position, indicating that the yarn rest has not moved from its original position. .Terminal 31b however, which is also in engagement with the contact ring 33, has been brought to that position by the downward movement of the yarn rest, due perhaps to an increase intension of the thread, as is evident by the po= sition of the finger 55a and the expanded condition of the spring 53a. After contact is made in the last-referred-to manner, the spring returns the yarn rest 20'to its normal position by rotatably returning the finger 55a and the connected arm 29 to their original inoperative positions,- the return movement being limited by the stop 68 on the tubular housing 33.

Should it be desired to vary the tension in springs 33 and 34 in accordance with the tensile strength of the particular threads of yarn being used on the knitting machine, this can be readily effected by manipulating the screws and 32 against the lugs 43 and 41, thereby causing a rotary movement of the sleeves 44 and 43 to either separate the anchoring points of the springs and thereby increase the tension therein or bring them together to decrease their tension. If two types of yarn, such as silk and wool, are simultaneously used in a knitting machine, one type can be operatively controlled by the springs on the sleeve 44 and the other by the springs on sleeve 45. In this way it is unnecessary to make independent and separate adjustments for each spring and each thread of yarn, inasmuch as a simple manipulation of the screws 3| and 32 will simultaneously adjust the tension in all the springs on one sleeve.

It should further be noted that inasmuch ,as 4

all the contacting elements are contained within the casing l1, provided with cover plate 32, this apparatus is free from the danger of dust and dirt accumulating therein to adversely affect the operation of the contacting elements. This is a decided advantage over the old form of circuitbreaking devices containing a plurality of separate and independent boxes generally exposed to the atmosphere with the resultant coating of the contacting elements with dust and other foreign particles.

The yarn contact lever 26 with its shaft 36 can together be considered or termed a yarn contact device having at its housing end the switch lever 31, while the yarn rest 20 with its tubular arm or shaft 29 may be referred to as a yarn rest device.

This device is adaptable not only to the'usual form of yarn-controlled elements such as are shown in Figures 2 and 3, but also to the arrangement of Figure 8 where the yarn 65 is superimposed upon the yarn contact lever 66 interposed between the two spaced supports of the yarn rest fill. The lever 66 is urged upwardly by the action of a spring or balancing means against the tension in the yarn 65, the tension being sufiicient to hold the lever down. Should the yarn c5 break, the lever 56 will move upwardly to actuate the equivalent of the shaft 36 to establish con tact with the unitary circular contact element 38.

It is of course understood that the various embodiments above described and shown in the drawings are illustrative of my invention and not employed by way of limitation, inasmuch as numerous changes-and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim is:

'1. In a machine of the character described, a yarn control mechanism comprising a yarn rest device and a yarn contact device revolvable within said rest device, a housing and a support radially mounted in the wall of said housing, said support having rotatably mounted therein said rest device and said contact device, stop means electrically connected to said machine, an electric terminal in said housing, an electric switch element on the housing end of said contact device and within said stop means circuit and adapted to close the electric circuit through said terminal for the operation of the stop means upon the operative movement of said yarn contact device, a spring-controlled lever on the housing end of said rest device yieldably holding said latter device against movement, and movable means positioned on the lateral wall of said housing adapted to adjust the spring tension on said lever.

2. In a machine of the character described, a yarn control mechanism comprising a yarn rest device and a yarn contact device rotatable within said rest device, a housing and a support radially mounted in the wall of said housing, said support sustaining said rest device substantially throughout the length thereof, stop means electrically connected to said machine, an electricterminal in said housing, an electric switch element on the housing end of said contact device and Within the stop means circuit and adapted to close the electric circuit through said terminal for the operation of said stop means upon the operative movement of said yarn contact device,

a spring-controlled lever on the housing end of said rest device yieldably holding said latter against movement, and movable means! DQSL- tioned on the lateral wall of said housing adapted to adjust the spring tension on said lever.

3. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of yarn control mechanisms comprising each a yarn rest device and a yarn contact device rotatable within said rest device, a housing and a plurality of supports secured to and extending radially from said housing, each support having operatively mounted thereupon said rest device and the corresponding contact device, a stop mechanism electrically connected with said machine, an electric terminal in said housing, an electric switch element on the housing end of each contact device and within the stop mechanism circuit and adapted to close the circuit through said terminal for the operation of said stop mechanism upon the operative movement of the corresponding yarn contact device, a spring-controlled lever on the housing end of each rest device yieldably holding said latter device against movement, and movable means positioned on the lateral wall of said housing adapted to adjust a predetermined number of said levers for one tension and other of said levers for a different yarn tension.

4. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of yarn control mechanisms comprising each a yarn rest device and a yarn contact device rotatable within said rest device, a housing and a plurality of supports secured to and extending radially from said housing, each support having rotatably mounted thereon one of said rest devices and a corresponding contact device substantially along the entire length thereof, a stop mechanism electrically connected with said machine, an electric terminal in said housing and within the stop mechanism circuit, an electric switch element on the housing end of each contact device adapted to close the circuit through said terminal for the operation of said stop mechanism upon the corresponding movement of the yarn contact device, a springcontrolled lever on the housing end of each rest device yieldably holding said latter device against movement, and movable means positioned on the lateral wall of said housing adapted to adjust a group of said levers for one'yarn tension and another group of said levers for a difierent yarn tension.

5. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of yarn control mechanisms comprising each a yarn rest device and a yarn contact device revolvable within said rest device, a housing anda plurality of supports secured to and extending radially from said housing, each support being adapted to rotatably and fully sustain a rest device with its contact device, an electrically operated stop mechanism to interrupt the operation of said machine, an electric terminal in said housing, an electric switch element on the housing end of each contact device adapted to close the circuit through said terminal for the operation of said stop mechanism, a spring-controlled lever on the housing end of each rest device to take up the tension of the yarn on the rest device, and movable means located on the lateral wall of said housing above and below said supports, said movable means being adapted to adjust a predetermined number of said levers for one yarn tension and another group of levers for a difierent tension.

6. In a mechanism of the character described, a plurality of yarn control mechanisms comprising each a yarn rest device and a yarn contact device revolvable within said rest device, a housing and a plurality of supports fastened to and extending radially from said housing, each support having rotatably mounted therein one of said rest devices substantially along the entire length thereof, means to limit the rotary motion of said rest devices, a stop mechanism electrically connected" with said machine, a circular electrical terminal in said housing, on electric switch element on the housing end of each contact device and contained within the stop'mechanism circuit and adapted to close the circuit through said terminal for the operation or said stop mechanism, a. spring-controlled lever on the housing end of each rest device yieldably holdin: snidlatter device against movement, each ememo 

